Innovation and sustainability in contemporary business practices

¶ … production and consumption of material resources is an often overlooked but very important aspect of human life on earth, as we are increasingly fighting to maintain sustainability of the global population. The capital of natural resources is being drained as economic and political factors influence the production and consumption of material resources. Developed nations have fared much better than poor undeveloped nations in terms of moving towards being able achieve sustainability. Two production habits related to material resources that can be discussed and that are important for the sustainability of the global population; are the production of vehicles for transportation and also the production of electrical appliances. These two types of material resources have great impact on the potential sustainability of the world's population. The production habit of vehicles for transportation, specifically cars is driven by a global economy that demands the production of millions of new vehicles every year. This production habit is driven by the ambition of large corporations and governments to strengthen and sustain their economy by providing customers with new vehicles every year, which in turn drains the natural resources and over saturates the market by having people believe that everyone has to have their own car, they do this by promoting a sense of individualism. This attitude which is adopted by car owners creates the unnecessary waste of fossil fuels which are non-renewable and which also affect global sustainability. The production of electronics is another production habit that must be considered. Like the production of motor vehicles, electronic appliances such as computers create a huge of amount of waste while at the same time depleting valuable and natural resources. The production of electronic appliances is also motivated by economic factors that come into play. Businesses and corporations motivate consumers to continually upgrade and purchase new equipment. This results in the creation of what is known as "e-waste," the decomposition of e-waste releases large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, thereby impacting the sustainability of the world's population.

The consumption habits related to the above mentioned material resources are negatively affecting the sustainability of the world's population. The consumption of fossil fuels through the production and use of cars will be a challenge for the world's population in the near future. According to Dustin Mulvaney "uncertainty exists about when the world's oil production will peak and when viable oil reserves will be depleted, experts generally agree that supplies will be severely limited within the next generation and a fossil fuel energy crisis may be unavoidable"(4). The consumption habits of the world's market must change in order to avoid such a crisis. The application and adoption of the methods for production and conservation of energy must be embraced. There is no need for every person in wealthy and developed countries to own a car. This is especially true in densely populated and metropolitan areas. Other forms and methods of transportation must be embraced in order to change the consumption habits affecting the global population's material resources. The consumption habit relating to the production of electronic appliances is one that is spurred by financial and economic motivations. Large corporations advertise and make the consumer feel like they have to have the latest in electronic devises. Although some of these electronics are very innovative and useful, for the most part consumers can live without the latest technological gadgets. In developed and wealthy nations consumer feel that it is their obligation to possess the latest in technology. This consumption habit creates enormous amounts of e-waste which in turn affects the sustainability of the world's populations. According to Ethel Eljarrat, it is estimated that the global production of e-waste is 20-25 millions of tons per year, with most being produced in Europe, The United States and Australia. (Eljarrat 134). Consumption habits in developed countries affect the sustainability of the world's population due to the simple supply and demand law of economics. If the consumptions demands and habits for the production of certain material resources do not change the sustainability of the global population is at risk.